Jan. 22, 2014

Bobby Ferguson / Wayne County Sheriff

Written by

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

That was the line of the day in federal court Tuesday, as multiple prospective jurors in Bobby Ferguson’s bid-rigging retrial had no idea who he was, much less that he got convicted in a public corruption scheme alongside his longtime friend, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Seven out of 12 prospective jurors questioned Tuesday said they hadn’t heard of Ferguson until they filled out their jury questionnaires last November, including a high-ranking official from the City of Ann Arbor who also said he knew no details about Kilpatrick’s federal trial.

“I know he was found guilty of something and that he has to pay restitution,” the college-educated man said about Kilpatrick, adding he had no idea what Kilpatrick’s sentence was. He also didn’t know Ferguson was the ex-mayor’s codefendant.

“(Until) after I filled out this form, I had never heard about Bobby Ferguson,” the man said, later adding, “I’m somewhat embarrassed.”

Of the five who had heard of Ferguson, two knew of his conviction in the federal trial; the others just recognized his name. The defense and prosecution are trying to seat an impartial panel who can set aside what they know about the highly publicized federal racketeering trial and judge Ferguson only on the facts presented in court in the bid-rigging case. Jury selection is expected to last four to five days.

Ferguson, who is serving a 21-year prison sentence for his role in the public corruption scheme, is being retried on charges that he and others rigged bids so that his company would win a contract for a nearly $12-million low-income housing project known as Garden View Estates. Ferguson, who did win the contract, also is charged with illegally dumping hazardous material at the construction site, which is the former Herman Gardens public housing project, and being a felon in possession of a gun. The government said federal agents found a gun in Ferguson’s office when he wasn’t supposed to have one due to a prior felony conviction for pistol whipping an employee.

Meanwhile, the names of the jurors are being kept confidential in the retrial. The first case ended in a mistrial in June 2012 after the jury deadlocked due to a holdout. The Free Press eventually learned and reported that the holdout wasn’t truthful during the jury selection process and withheld information that would have likely kept her off the jury. For example, she never revealed that her husband had a felony conviction involving drugs and that the couple had once filed bankruptcy.